Along Came a Spider-Man

Reeve Carney, star of the upcoming Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

A funny thing happened to Reeve Carney on his way toward rock stardom. Broadway called. Now the 27-year-old singer, who says he never thought he would end up in a musical, finds himself the lead of the most expensive production in Broadway history, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Directed by two-time Tony Award winner Julie Taymor, who co-wrote the book, the play has songs by Bono and the Edge. “Some of the melodies, when I sing them, I’m like, “Wow! That sounds like Bono,’” says Carney, who grew up in New York and L.A. “It has that U2 feeling.” Taymor brought him into the fold after catching a New York club performance by his band, a promising DAS Label/Interscope act named Carney, which rocks hard, like some crazy offspring of Led Zeppelin and Queen. While the front man is portraying Peter Parker and his arachnid alter ego, his three bandmates will be among the musicians in the orchestra pit. Long before preparing himself for the task of hitting the Broadway stage, Carney had begun studying with a vocal coach. “I used to think training was for sissies until I started singing every night,” he says. Because the role he plays is physically demanding, with action sequences and Cirque du Soleil–style flying through the air, he has also been doing core work with trainers. “I never had a six-pack before,” Carney says, “but now I do. It’s hilarious!”